Android vs iPhone

I recently read an article on CNN.com about Android outperforming iPhones  and Blackeberry in a market research report  by comScore. According to the article, two and a half years from its inception to the U.S market, the google Android is the most popular Smartphone in the U.S. According to the market research by comScore, the android is rising above the iPhone and Blackberry. (Sutter, 2011).

            Being just in the market, the Blackberry seems to be popular, and belonging to Apple,  the iPhone seems to be the coolest phone. However, consumers are more drawn to the Android. The reason according to CNN is the variety of options the Android provides. While there is only one iPhone, there are dozens of android options. While the iPhone is only  with AT&T, Android phones are major U.S wireless networks  as well as smaller carriers . Having oprios makes it attractive to consumers. (Sutter, 2011).

            The Android versus iPhone tug of war has a lot of things said about both phones. The iPhone faithful call Android developers not capable of original thought and their rise is just temporary. This is a war that will be interesting to watch. Whether Android will completely outweigh the iPhone or the iPhone will regain its glory, only time will tell. But for now, more consumers use Androids compared to iPhones.

Charlie Sheen needs a silent treatment

This past week has been full of Charlie Sheen in the News. The Police taking his kids and putting them under the custody of a still-in-rehab mother. His uncanny comments about fame and how his actions are affecting his daughters. His calling himself a rock star in an interview where he is supposed to come clean with his behavior. Many of us expected him to apologize and give a heartfelt performance that Fame and fortune was to be blamed for his bad behavior, yet he defies the odds by putting one bad act after another.

Rebellious celebrities are nothing new. We have seen rebels from Linday Lohan and countless of rock stars. Everyone pitied Lindsay Lohan because they felt she had missed a lot of her childhood and that her parents were fame and fortune seeking. My sentiments for Charlie are with the general public, he is being a bad example to his children and his measures to rectify the situation are not really helping. Yet it makes me wonder, is he doing this for the attention that the media is giving him?

May be there is no such a thing as bad publicity. His bad behavior is talked about more than anything good going on. May be real punishment for superstars isn’t publicity to damage their names; it is shunning them from publicity all together. If Charlie Sheen does something bad, there should be no mention of him in the gossip columns. Then again, good news doesn’t sell as much as bad. Yet my sentiment to this is we are making them celebrities by wanting to know why, or following the next worst thing. The silent treatment works in many situations, may be situations like Charlie Sheen need the same.

No FACEBOOK Week Ritual

Rituals come from routine and they may change over time. When I was younger I used to pray before I slept and when I woke up. With the internet and new behavior, I tend to check my emails, update my last facebook status and turn off the computer. When I wake up, I turn on the computer, Check my emails and my facebook and then may be pray. Many rituals that prevail now relate to technology: Yoga routine on a smart phone, Wake up and check weather updates, or check your inbox and update your status.  Other rituals relate to the obsession with being thin: wake up and run on the treadmill, take your diet pills. Some relate to the pace of life, like wake up and get your morning boost of coffee. Rituals prevail with the society’s cultural influences: technology, fitness or alertness. Some rituals are prevalent in a certain time period only, like during football season or baseball season.

            Rituals do not just happen; they are developed and taught until they become a part of someone’s life. I would like to develop a no Facebook week in my school, and focus on building relationships face to face. There is such a disconnect among people yet we are one big happy family online. We have thoughts, ideas, and insights to post but nothing to say to a group of people. The internet phenomenon has brought amazing things but it is killing out interpersonal connections when we meet. The No Facebook week is to change the LOL into real laughter, and :) into a real smile. To change :( into real sympathy as we relate with other people. Humans are emotional beings but we are slowly becoming disconnected from our emotions and becoming machine like with our virtual relationships and no real relationships.

            Rituals are actions, that can be changed when we want to. Although they help us connect, when we know that there are people like us, and they provide meaning to our lives; they do not start from nothing. They are developed, taught, and redone until they become a part of our normal lives. They explain our beliefs. They are also vital to businesses. McDonalds understands the morning coffee ritual and incorporates it in their advertising. Knowing what people will do, can make you create products to facilitate their ritual. If the Church were up for it, there would be facebook confessions. However, since rituals carry a deeper meaning than the action, it embodies the belief, only a few rituals make the cut and become acceptable by many.